Compressor



P. VAN VLECKAND H. 000m. COMPRESSOR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 16 1920. 1,373,924!

Patented Apr. 5, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

P. 'V AN VLE CK AND H. COOPER. COMPRESSOR. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 16,1920.

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PEIRCE VAN VLECK AND HOWARD COOPER, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNORS TO WILLIAILVE H. PEIRCE, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

Specification of Letters Patent. I

COMPRESSOR.

Application filed June 16, 1920. Serial No. 389,371.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, Pnmcn VAN VLnoK and HOWARD CoornR, citizens of the United States, residing at Baltimore city, in the State of Maryland, have invented certainv new and useful Improvements in Compressors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to compressors and more especially of the class in which a liquid piston is employed and may be utilized to compress air, ammonia, or other gases.

The objects of the invention are,

First, to construct a compressor of the liquid piston type to eliminate the usual stuffing boxes and at the same time provide a duplex pump having a singlevalve.

Second, to devise a compressor of the character referred to which is capable of rapid and silent operation and at the same time avoid all dead centers, thereby insuring constant and uniform operation and long life.

Third, to construct and arrange the parts in such a. manner as to enable the compressor to be easily manufactured, assembled or taken apart for inspection or repairs in a minimum amount of time and cost.

Other objects and advantages ofthe in vention will appear from the detailed description to be hereinafter given.

The invention consists of structural characteristics and relative arrangements of elements which will be hereinafter more fully disclosed and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings in which similar reference characters indicate the same parts in the several figures of drawing Figure 1, is a longitudinal section taken on line II of Fig. 2 with parts in elevation;

Fig. 2, is a section on line 11-11 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3, is a section on line III-III of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a section on line I.VIV; Fig. 5 is a section on line VV;

Fig. 6 is a section on line TI-J 1;

Fig. 7 is a section on line VII.VII;

Fig. 8 is a section on line VIII-VIII; and

Fig. 9 is a section on line IX-IX.

Referring to the drawings, 10 is a hollow base containing the reversing valve 11 whose specific construction and operation will be presently described. Attached by any Suit.

able means is a casting 12 provided with two compression chambers 13 and 14 having Patented Apr. '5, 1921.

, at their upper ends smaller float chambers 15 and 16 communicating therewith. 17, is

a head closing the upper ends of the float chambers 15 and 16 and is so floored, con structed and arranged to provide an inwardly opening intake-valve '18 and an outwardly opening discharge valve 19 for each of said float chambers 15 and 16 and cooperating compression chambers 13 and .14. Ports 20v and 21 lead respectivelyto the intake valves 18, and from the discharge valves 19, as shown and for the purpose to be later disclosed.

lVithin each of said float chambers 15 and 16 is arranged a hollow float-piston 22, adapted to receive,preferably a ball float 23 arranged to be seated in its upper. position against an inner seat 24. Each of said floatpistons 22 has an upper opening 25 to permit the gas being pumped to pass through the float-piston 22 into and out of the chambers bottom section of said pistons 22, and said openings 26 also allow high pressure liquid within the chambers 13 and 14 to actuate the ball floats 23 and pistons 22 for purposes to be later explained. i

27 are knobs on the top of the float-pistons 22 which act as stops to arrest the upward movement of said pistons and insure a passageway being preserved between the upper ends of said pistons and intake valves 18 and discharge valves 19. I

Formed in thehollow base is a fluid'pressure chest 28 having a liner 29 in which the reversing valve 11 has a combined reciprocating and oscillating movement for purposes to be presently described. The ends of the chest 28 are closed by the usual heads 30. Formed in the hollow base 10 is the high pressure liquid entrance passageway 31 Which is in communication with the port 32 shown. 39 and 40 are passageways connecting the interior of the compression chambers 13 and 14 with the interior pf the c er sec ion of che 28 on each sldecf port 32. The reversing valve 11 within the chest 28 consists of three cylindrical sections 41, 42, and 43, said section 41 belng provided with high pressure channels or grooves 44, 44, and low pressure channels or grooves 45 and 45, which are adapted to register with the ports 34 and 38 respectively, while the high pressure channel or grooves 44, 44 and low pressure channels or grooves 45, 45, in sectlon 43 reglster respectively with the ports 34 and 38 during the operation of said valve 11 to be presently described, and it will be seen that said high and low pressure grooves or channels 44, 44, 44, and 44 and 45, 45, 45' and 45 are arranged in pairs, equal and opposite to each other, to effect a circumferential balance of'said valve to insure an easy, constant uniform operation. The outer ends of the valve sections 41 and 43 are provided with knobs or buttons 46, which act as stops and insure suflicient clearance between the ends of the valve 11 to brovide an effective area for the end pressure to actuate or reciprocate said reversing valve 11.

47, 47, are links, the upper ends of which are connected to the lower portion of the float-pistons 22, while their lower ends pass through the passageways 39 and 40 into the chest 28 and slidingly engage eccentric pins 48, 48 which pass through the cylindrical valve sections 41 and 43 and have their inner ends seated in depressions in valve section 42. These links 47, 47, are eccentrically arranged or on each side of the longitudinal axis of the valve 11, so that reciprocation of said links 47, 47, oscillates the valve 10 through such an angle as to properly regis- V ter the grooves or'passageways in the valve sections and 43 with their cooperating parts in the liner 29. l

The operation of the compressor is as follows:

Assuming that the ports 20, 20 are connected to a source of air or other gas supply which is desired to compress, the port 21 is connected to a tank or chamber into which the compressed gas is to be supplied or stored, and the passageway 31 to a source of liquid, preferably oil, under a hydrostatic head or pressure. The passageway 35 has communication with the suction side of a pump or other means for withdrawing the oil from the chest 28 and putting the same under pressure for supply to the passageway '31, whereby the same oil can be employed over and over and insuring the constant lubrication of all the moving parts and avoiding the use of leal-ring glands or stufiing boxes.

The valve 11 being in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and so held in view of the high pressure channels 44, 44 of section 43 being in communication with the high pres sure ports 34, 34, and the low pressure 'way 40, port 37, extension 36',

channels 45, 45, of section 41 being in communication with lower pressure discharge ports 38, 38, the oil under pressure passes through passageway 31, port 32 into chest 28 between valve sections 42 and 43, and

rises through passageway 40 into chamber p edient through the passageway39 into the chest 28 between the valve sections 41 and 42, and out by way of the port 37 and passageway 36, and the left end of the chest 28 is in communication with said passageway 36 through ports 45, 45, as will be readily understooc. T

As the rising oil in chamber 14 reaches the ball float 23, said float 23 is elevated in the piston 22 and is forced against its seat 24, thereby shutting off any outlet of the oil through said piston 22, and the continuation of the rising of the oil level causes an unbalanced and excess or pressure to be exerted on the inner surface of the upper end of pis-" ton 22, causing said piston with its connected link 47 to be elevated. This upward movement of the link 47 oscillates the valve 11 to such a position that the high pressure channels 44, 44, in section 41 register with high pressure ports 34, 34, and the low pressure channels 45, 45, in section 43 register with ports 38. 38' and the valve 11, owing to differential pressures is made to move to the right, and into such a position so that the valve section 43 uncovers the port 37, the valve section 41 passes over the port 37 and the section 42 is oositioned to the right of port 32. It will also be readily understood and seen that the float-pistons 22, 22, in the chambers 13 and 14 have reversed their positions, the piston in the chamber 13 being below that in chamber '14. In this new positi on of the valve 11 and when at the extreme right in the chest 28, the oil under pressure passes from passageway 31 through port 32, passageway 39 into chamberr13, when the cycle of operations described with reference to chamber 14 is repeated and the oil withinchamber 14 is withdrawn through passagepassageway 35 to the pump not shown. It will be seen that the passageways 39 an 40 have a double function of not only acting as ports for connecting the pressure chest 28 with the compression chambers 13 and 14, but at the same time act as gangways for links or other means to correctly and directly convey the movement of the float-pistons 22, 22, to properlyand easily oscillate the reversing valve 11 without any use of stuffing boxes. i

The length of the channels 45 and 415 is such that the ports38 and 38 are cut oil sufliciently early to effect a cushioning of the endwise travel or reciprocation of the valve 11, thereby assisting in making the compressor operate with the minimum of noise.

From the foregoing disclosure of the construction, arrangement, assembling and mode of operation of the compressor, it will be seen that all of the objects and advantages recited in the statement of invention are fully and efliciently carried out and while one embodiment of such an arrangement 1s herein illustrated and described, it will be readily seen that many changes will readily suggest themselves to any one skilled in the art without departing from the structural characteristics and relative arrangement of elements covered by the claims.

What we claim is:

1. A fluid piston compressor comprising two compression chambers, each of which is provided with a cylinder communicatlng therewith,agas inlet anda gas discharge for each cylinder, a float-piston within each cylinder having its interior in communication with a gas inlet and a gas discharge and a compression chamber, a float valve within each float-piston adapted to shut off communication between the gas discharge and interior of said hollow piston, a chest having an independent communication with each compression chamber at a point opposite to that of the cylinder, a combined oscillating and reciprocating valve having high and low fluid pressure ports, and within said chest, means for connecting said floatpiston with the combined oscillating and reciprocating valve for oscillatmg the valve by movement of the float piston, high and low fluid pressure ports communicating with the interior of said chest and provided with passageways so constructed, arranged and disposed to cooperate with said valve within the chest and ports in the valve to reciprocate said valve within the chest when oscillated by the float piston and alternately fill the compression chambers with the fluid under pressure and exhaust the same and permit the fluid to enter and discharge from the chest.

2. A fluid piston compressor comprising two compression chambers, each of which is provided with a cylinder communicating therewith, a gas inlet and a gas discharge for each cylinder, a hollow piston reciprocating in each cylinder having its interior in communicating with a gas inlet and a gas discharge and a compression chamber, means within each hollow piston adapted to shut off communication between the gas discharge and interior of said hollow piston,

a chest having communication with each compression chamber at a point opposite to that of the cylinder, a combined oscillating and reciprocating valve having high.

and low fluid pressure ports and within said chest, means connecting said hollow piston alternately fill the compression chambers with the fluid under pressure and exhaust the same and permit the fluid to enter and discharge from the chest.

3. A fluid piston compressor comprising two compression chambers, each of which is provided with a cylinder communicating therewith, a gas inlet and a gas discharge for each. cylinder, a float-piston within each cylinder having its interior in communication with a gas inlet and a gas discharge and a compression chamber, a float-valve within each float-piston adapted to shut oflt' communication between the gas discharge and interior of said hollow piston, a valve chest, an independent passage connecting the valve chest with each compression cham-' ber at a point opposite to that of the cylinder, a combined oscillating and reciprocating valve having high and low fluid pressure ports and within said chest, a link passing through each compression chamber and independent passages and connecting said float-piston with the combined oscillating and reciprocating valve for oscillating the valve by movement of the float-piston, high and low fluid pressure ports communicating with the interior of said chest and provided with passageways so constructed, arranged and disposed to cooperate with said valve within the chest and ports in the valve to reciprocate said valve within and alternately fill the compression cham-' bers with the fluid under pressure and exhaust the same and permit the fluid to enter valve Within said chest and having high and low fluid pressure ports, means connecting said cut-off means with the combined oscillating and reciprocating valve for oscil lating the valve high and low fluid pressure ports communicating with the interior of said chest and provided with passageways so constructed arranged and disposed to cooperate With said Valve within the 10 chest and ports in the valve to reciprocate said valve within the chest When oscillated and alternately fill the compression chambers with the fluid under pressure and exhaust the same and permit the fluid to enter and discharge from the chest.

In testimony whereof We affix our signatures.

PEIRCE VAN VLECK. HOWARD COOPER. 

